tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post3741552357489696558..comments2024-03-26T09:38:39.888+00:00Comments on Borthlas: Another missed opportunityJohn Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-91545639822904099892014-01-23T06:39:46.126+00:002014-01-23T06:39:46.126+00:00I wouldn't want to go back to the days of havi...I wouldn't want to go back to the days of having a plethora of authorities. Truth is, I don't really have a view (about how many local authorities we should have or how big they are) which is independent of the question of what we want them to do. It's amazing to me, though, how many people seem to be starting from an arbitrary number.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-59213767928783171262014-01-22T19:36:19.711+00:002014-01-22T19:36:19.711+00:00@John: so maybe the real problem lies with Ted Hea...@John: so maybe the real problem lies with Ted Heath's 1972 reforms?<br /><br />Prior to that Wales had 17 counties and county boroughs, a plethora of boroughs, urban districts and rural districts, as well as a myriad of civil parishes. The tasks undertaken by the councils differed according to their capacity, with the four county boroughs (Cardiff, Merthyr, Newport and Swansea) more like today's unitary authorities than the hash we had from 1974 to 1996.<br /><br />Prior to Heath's grand plan, local government had evolved little by little with a good degree of cooperation between smaller authorities (and mergers along the way!). It's too late to undo the past 40 years, even though some us no doubt long for the days of the old Newcastle Emlyn Rural District.Emlyn Uwch Cychhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03384157218244458970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-79219400440358157382014-01-22T12:20:00.132+00:002014-01-22T12:20:00.132+00:00"...then perhaps the current authorities woul...<i>"...then perhaps the current authorities would be large enough to manage the remainder..."</i><br /><br />I'd be tempted to go even further; it's not inconceivable that they might then be 'too large' and that the services could be provided even more locally. It underlines the point that the size and number of local authorities isn't (or shouldn't be!) decided by picking numbers out of the air, but by reference to what they're actually for.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-62502302028424143232014-01-22T08:41:45.611+00:002014-01-22T08:41:45.611+00:00You're in good company - pretty much every med...You're in good company - pretty much every media report describes libraries as a discretionary service! To answer MH - if anything, libraries are in a stronger position in Wales as there is a published set of standards which to all intents and purposes define "comprehensive" and "efficient".<br />As you say, if there is little scope for how any service can be delivered due to statute or good practice, is there any point in having it run by the LA? If these core services were run directly by the Welsh Government then perhaps the current authorities would be large enough to manage the remainder and we could save the cost of the reorganisation. If all we're doing is electing managers, then it's largely a democratic sham.Old_Miwlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437078247835481226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-12149311703663468582014-01-22T06:50:09.376+00:002014-01-22T06:50:09.376+00:00Thanks to Old-Miwl for that - like MH, I hadn'...Thanks to Old-Miwl for that - like MH, I hadn't actually checked that.John Dixonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447224248021209852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-15788612312232426182014-01-21T18:31:12.186+00:002014-01-21T18:31:12.186+00:00With all the hype in the media about how massive a...With all the hype in the media about how massive a change this would be, what you've written makes a lot more sense than most of what I've heard and read, John.<br /><br />What Old Miwl has said is interesting. I wasn't aware of that, and had swallowed the line that libraries were not a statutory service. I've just googled, and found <a href="http://www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/public-libraries-and-museums-act-1964/" rel="nofollow">this</a>, which says that legal action has been taken against Gloucestershire, and that an injunction against closures has been granted pending judicial reviews of their library services and those in Brent and the Isle of Wight. However the page appears to be two yeas old, so the reviews have probably happened by now. <br /><br />Also the position might be different in Wales as the page says responsibility in England is being (and since 2012 has been) transferred to Arts Council England. But there's a <a href="mailto:media@voicesforthelibrary.org.uk" rel="nofollow">contact email</a> if any campaigners reading this what to exchange notes.MHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09329059309196746446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411161795798360588.post-36851904199854091152014-01-21T14:13:50.757+00:002014-01-21T14:13:50.757+00:00Most people (including many Councillors) don't...Most people (including many Councillors) don't realise that libraries are actually a statutory service like education. Councils have some freedom on how they delivery the service, but they are requried by law to provide a comprehensive an efficient library service under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act. As far as I know this has never been tested in court but it would be interesting to see what would happen if campaigners against library closures decided to go down that routeOld_Miwlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14437078247835481226noreply@blogger.com